Several publications and patent documents are cited throughout the specification in order to describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. Each of these citations is incorporated by reference herein as though set forth in full.
Invasive Phragmites australis subsp. australis (Cay.) Trin., native to Eurasian wetlands, is an introduced grass in North America that displaces entire communities of native flora and fauna. This plant is highly competitive and generally out-competes other plants to produce large monospecific stands. It is increasingly becoming clear that microbes that form symbiotic associations with Phragmites play roles in increasing its invasive character (Clay et al., 2016). Soares et al. (2016a) recently demonstrated that endophytic bacteria isolated from tiller meristems were capable of increasing nitrogen assimilation into plants in greenhouse experiments. In another study, Soares et al. (2016b) showed that fungal endophytes that enter into roots of Phragmites growing in saline soils may enhance salt tolerance in the host, enabling it to thrive in high saline soils. Ernst, Mendgen and Wirsel (2003) demonstrated that a seed-borne fungal endophyte in genus Stagonospora enhanced biomass accumulation in experiments in microcosms. It is thus evident that symbiotic microbes may impact the aggressiveness of Phragmites. 